D2: Markets: Background: Bruce Walker of Vincor on wine regulation in Canada
Bruce Walker is a vice president of Constellation owned Vincor Canada, responsible for government regulation, and chairman of the Vintners Association. We chat to him about how alcohol and wine are regulated in the provinces of Canada.
Canada is more regulated than many other countries when it comes to alcohol. The ten provinces control alcohol distribution and sale to ensure Canadians are moderate consumers and also to discourage underage drinking. In every province there are different distribution channels for retail and wholesale. In Ontario for example there are 600 government stores in the province. The brewers have their own retail system and the wine industry has 300 retail stores in which they can sell only locally produced wine. The liquor control board is the only place an importer can retail their wine. In Alberta though there is free enterprise retailing and in British Columbia a mix of government controlled and private stores. You can also brew your own wine or beer in a shop legally and just pay federal excise taxes on the wine you produce. Needless to say, home winemaking is a popular pastime in Canada.
VQA or Vintner Quality Assured is similar to the appellation systems of Europe and means that 100% Canadian grown grapes are used in the wine and that the wine has met the required quality standards.
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